Growth in Grace

By Stephen Rankin

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and

Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

In our home, affixed to the wall of the entryway from our garage into the kitchen, hangs an oversized yardstick that our son-in-law made for us to measure the heights of all our grandchildren as they grow. As you might imagine, it is full of marks that climb ever higher and higher on the numbered hash marks. Joni, my spouse and family matriarch, marches each grandchild to that board every year as close to her or his birthday as possible. Each grandchild is as excited as we are to see how much she or he has grown. One grandson, now five inches taller than my smallish 5’9”, towers over me. Those of you who do something similar know the feeling. The mystery of human growth is amazing.

Measuring biological growth is a straightforward, understandable process. Gauging spiritual growth? Not so much. Most Christians recognize the need for growth. Most of us have some general, but probably too vague a notion that God expects us to grow. We know that being a mature Christian is obviously better than being an immature one, but do we have any way of making an honest and accurate assessment so that we can tell the difference? Candidly, I think the answers to these questions for most believers is no. We need to remedy this situation.

The author of the book of Hebrews hits this point hard. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food … but solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore, let us go on toward perfection…” (Hebrews 5:12-6:1a, NRSV).

According to Albert Outler’s introductory note in the new edition of The Works of John Wesley, Mr. Wesley preached on Hebrews 6:1, “Let us go on to perfection,” more than fifty times in his long ministry. We’ll return to the idea of “going on” in relation to growth in a moment, but, first, let’s deal with that most intimidating word, “perfection.”

Most people, including many in the Wesleyan tradition, struggle with perfection because it seems to point to a flawlessness that no human can reach. True, and Hebrews isn’t asking us to hit this mark. Similarly, perfection smacks of perfectionism. Biblical perfection in Christianity is not the perfection we are called to seek. What, then, is it?

It’s a call to grow into the fullness of adult, mature discipleship. In other words, to aim at, yes, Christlikeness; that is, to have the mind of Christ and to walk as Christ walked. The Bible doesn’t mess around. It doesn’t soften this call. It is only possible by God’s grace, and God makes this very grace available to us all.

As many scholars of Wesley have pointed out, going on to perfection (or entire sanctification, or being made perfect in love, or several other expressions Wesley used) is the chief reason for the existence of Methodism. It’s especially important for us in the Wesleyan tradition to hold fast to this vision.

What is Grace and How Does It Work?

People in the Wesleyan tradition have learned from numerous sources about prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace. We know the words and some perhaps have some basic understanding as to how these different expressions of grace work. If you already know what I’m talking about, then consider this little exposition a refresher. If you don’t know, then I hope it inspires you. Either way, may it provoke you to action.

John Wesley, in his sermon, “The Witness of Our Own Spirit,” helps us see the needed perspective for growing in grace:

“‘By the grace of God’ is sometimes to be understood that free love, that unmerited mercy, by which I, a sinner, through the merits of Christ am now reconciled to God. But in this place it rather means that power of God the Holy Ghost which ‘worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure.’ As soon as ever the grace of God (in the former sense, his pardoning love) is manifested to our soul, the grace of God (in the latter sense, the power of his Spirit) takes place therein. And now we can perform, through God, what to [humanity] was impossible.”

Most Christians have a decent grasp on the first part of this description. We know that grace means God’s gift, God’s unmerited favor in forgiving and adopting us as his children through faith in Christ. But awareness of the second part — the part that Mr. Wesley emphasizes — pales by comparison.

To be sure, the Bible is consistently clear regarding God’s unmerited favor, and we thank God for it. What if, however, we also grasped further that God’s grace is God’s action for our full salvation, like the actions of a great coach who has a purpose in our training and a goal for our growth? Who is totally committed to our becoming, so to speak, an outstanding athlete? Who guides and corrects and insists and inspires? The coach metaphor falls short, of course, because God does more than teach and correct. He also literally provides what a coach cannot. God’s very own Spirit supplies the energy, the power, to grow us into Christlikeness. And here I think of another of Mr. Wesley’s sermons, “On Working Out Our Own Salvation,” based on Philippians 2:12-13. This text reads in part, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you…” As Wesley says in this sermon, because God works in us, we can work. But also, because God works in us, we must work, that is, engage our energies to grow and to serve.

What Does Growth Look Like?

Let’s assume that you have committed to this vision of becoming a fully-grown, spiritually mature, on-to-perfection disciple. How do you gauge whether you are actually growing?

Assuming the desire to grow, the process starts with appropriate self-awareness. I stress that word, appropriate. The kind of self-awareness we need follows Jesus’ first Beatitude in Matthew 5: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” To recognize our spiritual poverty, our tendency toward self-indulgence, therefore our need for grace, is the place to start.

Then, avail yourself of the means of grace. They are indispensable aids to growth. We can call them spiritual disciplines, as many traditions do, but recognizing them as means of grace helps us remember that God supplies the energy we need. Prayer (public and private), searching the scriptures, fasting, receiving the sacrament, meeting together in small groups for mutual edification (watching over one another in love), and serving others in Christ’s love all serve as means of God’s grace to grow us into mature Christians.

Next, develop a useful way of measuring growth. This process does not need to be overly formal. It simply needs to help you see what is actually happening in your efforts to grow. Make a list of ways that you sense the need to grow. You can modify the list as you give more thought to this work. Keep some notes for future reference. Do this work with trusted fellow travelers. You could start with any of several spiritual maturity assessments available online (do an internet search for “spiritual maturity assessment” and choose one that seems appropriate). A tool like this one gives you some food for thought.

In your assessment, while you consider attitudes, dispositions, and behaviors (in other words, character), don’t overlook the critical category of knowledge. For example, one area of serious concern has to do with discerning sound from unsound doctrine. To be sure, mere conceptual knowledge does not make one a mature Christian, but neither does ignorance! Sound doctrine leads you into deeper union with Christ. If you want to grow in grace, do not overlook serious study. Again, if you search online, you can find tools for helping you assess doctrinal and scriptural knowledge. Remember, it’s just a way to get started, it’s not the final judgment.

Christian character flows from the heart and the heart is made up of thoughts, feelings (desires, affections) and actions. So, do the same inventory with character qualities. Consider how, for example, the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 provides a template. Start with a study of each of the virtues listed there. Again, it’s best to do this work with a group committed to the same goal. Think about situations where you feel vulnerable or afraid or frustrated or angry or hurt. Conversely, where might you be a little too comfortable, too self-assured? Think of relationships in which you need to exhibit Christlikeness in your demeanor.

Finally, consider whether or not you regularly give away your time and love to others in service. In what ways do you show that you love your neighbor? Once more, let me cite John Wesley. In his sermon, “On Visiting the Sick,” he makes it clear that engaging in this ministry (all Christians, not just pastors) is a means a grace for the visitor every bit as much as the visited.

And, with friends in Christ, stop every six months or year (not too often) and look back. Have I grown? Can I testify to real victory in certain areas of my life? What changes does my small group see in me? Am I gaining ground in feeling the love of God and showing Christ’s love toward others?

In getting practical, I want to stress that you need more than a checklist of behaviors. We’re good at checking boxes. Did I read my Bible? (Check) Did I attend worship? (Check) Did I tithe this month? (Check) And so on. But checking boxes, merely going through the motions of behaviors does not a mature Christian make. Once more, thinking of these actions as means of grace keeps them in the framework of God’s goal of our growing to maturity

Keep in Mind

Finally, a couple of cautions. First, God doesn’t walk on and override our agency. We’re not little automatons that God manipulates. In The Faith Once Delivered, a good resource for growth in grace, you’ll find reference to the “cooperant grace, of God and humanity working together with God by grace.” God won’t run over your desires and prerogatives to get you where he wants you, but you can receive his grace and he will work with you to grow you up.

Second, we don’t need to feel strong to be strong in Christ. It’s the same with growth. We don’t always feel like we’re growing when we’re growing. Don’t wait around until you feel inspired or somehow adequate to the task. I repeat, you don’t have to feel strong to be strong in Christ. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul testifies about his weakness and what Christ said to his request for healing: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.” Therefore, Paul could boast, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Spiritual growth is often an up-and-down experience. It’s not a straight line. It’s not automatic. It takes effort. We hit plateaus. We grow listless. We get tired. A season of difficulty can cause us to doubt. But we press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ! We don’t settle for anything less than Christlikeness. This is the goal of the Christian life, and, by God’s grace, we can arrive at the goal.

Stephen Rankin pastors Arkansas City United Methodist Church in Kansas. He also serves as executive director of Spiritual Maturity Project. He is author of Aiming at Maturity: the Goal of the Christian Life.